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Episode 53: Fanfic Part 1 – Pre-Internet

The crew is joined by Erica Massey, a PhD student studying modern literature and pop culture, to discuss pre-internet Star Trek fanfiction. We discuss the fanzine production process, the culture of the early fanfic community, and debates around “slash” fic.

Mark Lenard appeared at a con in 1988. A couple of ladies went up to him on stage and presented him with a fanzine. He politely told them no thank you. He told the audience he no longer accepted gifts of fanzines. He would throw them into the back seat of his car. One Sunday afternoon his daughters who I believe were ten and eight at the time saw them. Their eyes were wide and their jaws hung open. He pretended to hold up a magazine looking at a centerfold.

Back in the Eighties, there was the stereotype all fanzines were K/S. I was talking to a friend and I mentioned I hoped to get a story published in a fanzine. He dully said “They’re all K/S.” I read a lot of Sarek/Amanda fanfics at the time. I had one story rejected by three different fanzine editors. It’s now safely on Archive of Our Own. SOMEBODY out there likes it!

I forgot the name of it. This publication listed fanzines available. They were based in Colorado. I subscribed to them for a time in the Eighties.

The publication that you refer to–listing fanzines–was known initially as Forum and then later changed its name to Datazine. It was published from 1980 until 1991, by KathE Donnelly and Joyce Thompson.

Forum/Datazine was only one of the various publications that listed zines.

Regarding the “They’re all K/S” syndrome–it was not uncommon in fandom, after K/S hit publication, for fans to wail that K/S was “taking over fandom.” This usually sent other fans to the pages of the adzines to count up the number of K/S and gen zines–and always to discover that those “fears” were unfounded.

Fascinating discussion. This history lesson was incredible; I now have a much deeper level of respect for our mothers in Trek fandom.

I would love to read Erica’s thesis once it’s complete. And hopefully she’ll be back on the show one day! I’m sure she’d bring this same informed level of commentary to any awesome Trek topics. I was seriously captivated!

Hmm, I don’t know if I agree with the idea that men are primarily the protectors of canon. I also see lots of women who are pretty anal about the subject. I even argued with one of the W@W Facebook page. Then again, I’m not sure if they write fanfiction.